Game Preview: Kitchener starts a Home-and-Home Series against Windsor on Friday
Kitchener, ON – After winning their last five straight games the Rangers look to bring their momentum into a home-and-home series with the Windsor Spitfires. The Rangers host the Spits on Friday for a 7 pm puck drop followed by a road trip to Windsor the next day.
- TV: Rogers Channel 20 (Kitchener)
- Video Stream: OHL Live on CHL TV
- Radio: 570 AM CKGL
- Live Stats
- Live Tweets
- Tickets
- East Avenue Blue
PROMOTIONS:
The Rangers are thrilled to partner up with Mitts for Kids in an effort to provide less fortunate children with winter apparel. Fans are encouraged to bring new or gently used hats, mittens, and snowsuits to the game, which will be collected and delivered to the Children’s Needs Distribution Centre (CNDC). Rangers Authentics store will also mark down mittens for fans to purchase and donate. Mitts for Kids donation drop-off will be conveniently located outside of Rangers Authentics, providing a designated area for fans to contribute to this heartwarming cause.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
This Season:
Heading into Friday’s game the Rangers and Spitfires have met twice this season with both teams coming out with a win. In the first meeting Kitchener hosted Windsor on October 15th where the Rangers came out with an 11-2 victory. Kitchener travelled to Windsor on November 2nd for their second meeting where Windsor won 4-3. The Rangers have not lost a game since this meeting and on the other hand, Windsor has not won a game since then.
Over the Years:
The Rangers and the Spitfires have faced off 25 times dating back to the 2017-18 season. Kitchener has an 11-11-3-0 record when playing Windsor and when playing at The Aud, the Blueshirts are 7-5-1-0.
Special Teams:
The Rangers special teams are have been steady. They own the fourth-best penalty kill at 85.7% and when playing at home they are first in the league at 91.9%. Windsor’s penalty kill is 19th in the league at 73.6% and when playing on the road it jumps to 8th place at 80.8%. The Rangers have the fifth-best power play converting at 24.6% while Windsor is 14th converting at 16.7%
SCOUTING THE RANGERS (14-5-0-0)
Ranked 1st in the Western Conference, 1st in the OHL/8th in Week 7 of the CHL Power Rankings
Last Time Out:
The Rangers hosted the league’s second-place Soo Greyhounds on Sunday where they came away with a 5-3 victory. Eight different Rangers ended up on the scoresheet with at least one point while three of them recorded a multipoint night; Trent Swick scored two goals and an assist (first star of the game), Filip Mešár registered one goal and two assists (second star of the game), and Hunter Brzustewicz tallied two assists.
Rangers to Watch:
- Carson Rehkopf (Seattle Kraken) has his name on nearly every league leaderboard. He is the league’s top point-getter with 33 points and goal-scorer with 19 for the third week in a row. In the CHL, Rehkopf is in third for goals, fifth for points, and is tied for second in game-winning goals.
- Hunter Brzustewicz (Vancouver Canucks) leads the league defensemen in points with 32 (5G, 27A), the next defenseman in line has 10 fewer points. Brzustewicz is also the OHL’s top assist-getter and is second in the CHL. He is back on a three-game point streak after Sunday’s game against the Greyhounds.
- Between the pipes, Jackson Parsons is on all four goaltender leaderboards. Parsons is first in the league for goals-against average at 2.33, wins with 10, and shutouts with four. He also has the second best save percentage in the OHL at .923.
SCOUTING THE SPITFIRES (4-13-1-0)
Ranked 10th in the Western Conference, 5th in the West Division
Last Time Out:
The Spitfire’s dropped to Owen Sound on Thursday 12-3 at home. All three of Windsor’s goals came in the first period while also allowing eight goals in that first period and never rebounding through the rest of the game. Liam Greentree, Noah Morneau, and Adrian Manzo each scored.
Spitfires to Watch
- Liam Greentree leads the Spitfires with 25 points (12G, 13A) and is currently ninth in the OHL for points. Greentree has eight points in his last five games (4G, 4A).
- Overager, Oliver Peer is second behind Greentree in points for the Spitfires with 22 (8G, 14A). Peer has registered three goals and five assists for eight points over the last six games.
- First-year player Cole Davis has scored four goals in his last six games. He currently tied for third in rookie scoring in the OHL with 12 points.
Movement in Windsor:
General Manager Bill Bowler got busy this week with a few trades for the club. On November 16th Windsor announced they traded Alex Christopoulos, Rodwin Dionicio (Anaheim Ducks), and a sixth-round pick in 2024 to Saginaw in exchange for Valentin Zhugin, Roberto Mancini, a second-round pick in 2024 and 2025, as well as a fourth-round pick in 2026. They also conducted a trade with Kingston receiving Owen Outwater for a fourth-round pick in 2025 and a third-round pick in 2026 and 2027.
RANGERS REACH
Support our community while cheering on your Rangers! Rangers Reach 50/50 Raffles take place at each Rangers home game and proceeds go to support our many community initiatives, including Scholarships, Community Impact Grants, in-kind donations, and more! Your 50/50 purchase helps to make a difference in our community! Tickets can be purchased online anywhere in Ontario at Rangers5050.com
BROADCAST COVERAGE
Sunday’s contest vs the Soo Greyhounds will be televised live throughout Kitchener and the Waterloo Region on Rogers TV, cable channel 20, and can be watched across the province of Ontario on the Super Sports Pak on channel 470 for cable subscribers. The game will be streamed live online on OHL Live on CHL TV. Additionally, fans can listen to Sunday matinee action on the radio on CityNews 570 AM CKGL.
UP NEXT:
The Rangers travel to Windsor to finish the home-and-home series on Saturday at the WFCU Center. Puck drop is slated for 7 pm. However, the East Avenue Blue get right back at it at The Aud on Tuesday as they host the Erie Otters. This is the only OHL game on that night, don’t miss it as the puck drops at 7 pm. You can get great seats at The Aud Box Office sponsored by White Way Plumbing or online here.
For inquiries, contact:
Lindsay Eastwood
Manager of Communications and Team Services
Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club
613-793-0168
[email protected]
